Sale solid, but Indians' Masterson masterful

Cleveland starter's 10th win is a six-hit shutout of Sox in duel of potential All-Stars

June 30, 2013|By Phil Rogers, Chicago Tribune reporter

Chris Sale finds out Saturday if he is going back to the All-Star Game. He could be the White Sox's lone representative, but it was the Indians' Justin Masterson who looked like the All-Star lock Sunday in a 4-0 victory.

Masterson's six-hit shutout trumped eight strong innings from Sale, who ended June winless in six starts. He struck out 10, giving him double-digit strikeouts in three of his last four games. But afterward he said he was disappointed because he wanted "to be listening to some loud music, laughing and having fun.''

That's what happens when you win, and the Sox lost their fifth game in a row and 23rd in their last 31. While Masterson improved to 10-6, Sale dropped to 5-7 after allowing three earned runs, including two in a fourth inning that started with Drew Stubbs' bunt single for the Indians' first hit.

"A hit's a hit,'' Sale said. "They're grinding too. It's smart baseball. They got something started, and it wound up winning the game for them.''

Sale ranks fifth among major league qualifiers with a 0.96 WHIP, behind only Matt Harvey, Hisashi Iwakuma, Max Scherzer and Jordan Zimmermann. His 2.79 ERA is seventh in the American League.

Reliever Jesse Crain is the other strong candidate to represent the Sox in the July 16 All-Star Game in New York. Sale seems likely to be voted in by uniformed personnel. Those ballots were mailed Sunday. If he doesn't get elected, Tigers manager Jim Leyland would decide who represents the Sox.

Pedal to the metal: Manager Robin Ventura decided against pulling Sale after the seventh with the Sox down 3-0. Sale faced four hitters in the eighth, running his pitch count to 123.

It marked the second time in four starts Sale has thrown 120-plus pitches. He joins Yu Darvish, Scherzer, Homer Bailey, Clayton Kershaw and Cliff Lee in having multiple 120-pitch starts this season.

Extra innings:Paul Konerko missed his sixth game with discomfort from a degenerative disc in his back but is expected back in the lineup Tuesday, when the Sox open a series against the Orioles. … Tyler Flowers credited Masterson for inducing the Sox to hit into four double plays, saying he was taking a little off his sinker to get it hit on the ground. … This was the Sox's third straight game without a home run, which hadn't happened at U.S. Cellular Field since September 2010.